as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
went from being a penniless girl to owner of her own restaurant
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penniless
One follower gave the movement her life savings before dying of cancer, virtually penniless.
—
Michael Rothfeld, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Will Smith stars as a penniless Anthony Ramos lookalike fish named Oscar, who wiles away his days scrubbing cetaceans’ tongues clean in the 'Whale Wash,' fantasizing about the good life.
—Them, 23 Dec. 2024
Last December, New York City, Chicago and Denver pleaded for federal assistance to help house tens of thousands of migrants who had arrived penniless after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, bused them there from the border.
—Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2024
Along with invisible, the assistant can also be penniless, powerless and a vulnerable target.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Michael Rothfeld, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024
Will Smith stars as a penniless Anthony Ramos lookalike fish named Oscar, who wiles away his days scrubbing cetaceans’ tongues clean in the 'Whale Wash,' fantasizing about the good life.
—Them, 23 Dec. 2024
Last December, New York City, Chicago and Denver pleaded for federal assistance to help house tens of thousands of migrants who had arrived penniless after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, bused them there from the border.
—Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2024
Along with invisible, the assistant can also be penniless, powerless and a vulnerable target.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for penniless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penniless
Adjective
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With the dwarfs and bandits by her side, Snow White vows to reclaim her parents’ home and restore peace to her impoverished kingdom.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
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The homes are part of an ambitious five-year plan, announced in 2021, to build 50,000 additional apartments in Pyongyang, where residents’ quality of life is considerably higher than elsewhere in the impoverished country.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This can manifest in poor financial behaviors like excessive credit card debt, minimal savings, or impulsive investment decisions.—
Shane Enete,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
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From the moment the details of the agreement became known, analysts gave the deal a poor prognosis.—
TIME,
TIME,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Hunter Biden plays the broke card in latest move to fight laptop scandal lawsuit.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
6 Mar. 2025
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But the Democrats still do not get it, which is why Trump should come to their aid by diverting leftover USAID funds to the Democrat Party which is broke and on the verge of becoming as relevant in U.S. politics as Guatemala, Serbia and Egypt.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penniless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penniless. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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